You're the Only Partner I Want
by GuardianDragon98
Summary: *SPOILERS FOR THE FILM! DON'T READ IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN IT!* "I don't want another partner, Judy, I want you…You're the only partner for me." Judy is Nick's dumb bunny, his Carrots...his partner. And getting another partner is out of the question for him. Story's better than summary, I promise. (Dedicated to my brother, my movie-watching buddy).


**Okay, everyone, this is something special that I decided to write for my younger brother. I just came back from watching Zootopia with him and it was A-MA-ZING!**

 **I just loved everything about it. And Judy Hopps! First ever rabbit police officer and, I think, the only animated movie character I've ever seen with violet eyes! I've always wanted to see a character with uniquely-colored eyes and Judy is the first one I've seen :)**

 **Now, then, on with the one-shot. Oh! And for those who haven't watched Zootopia yet...don't read this unless you want the spoilers!**

 **NOTE: I DO NOT OWN ZOOTOPIA. ALL RIGHTS GO TO DISNEY!**

* * *

 **You're the Only Partner I Want**

Nicholas P. Wilde, from the time he had been muzzled and ridiculed as a young fox kit, had sworn to never show anyone that they got to him. He would be strong, even when he was breaking on the inside. Even when he was sworn in as Zootopia's first fox officer, Nick still maintained that mindset. If he didn't show any emotion other than his usual sarcasm, then, he wouldn't have to worry about appearing weak.

A hard thing to do at the moment as, now, he was currently sitting in a chair outside the ER of Zootopia General Hospital, furiously trying to blink back tears while the rest of the ZPD, also sat around in chairs, anxiously waiting for the news. Nick didn't seem to notice them for he was too occupied with worrying. He hadn't even realized that he hadn't changed out of his uniform, which was stained with blood, and that Chief Bogo had been repeatedly trying to get him to talk and tell him about what had happened. Nick was far too gone in his anxieties, his tail twitching nervously, and trying to keep himself from falling apart so Chief Bogo eventually gave up. The cape buffalo looked at his district's newest recruit and sighed, knowing that there was no use trying to get anything out of Wilde and that it was best to just stay silent and offer some moral support.

Benjamin Clawhauser was sitting next to Nick and, upon seeing the red fox's distressed state, tried to cheer him up in the only way he knew best - by offering him a donut. Nick managed to snap out of his distress long enough to accept the frosted treat, but only managed a few nibbles before giving it back to Benjamin. The chubby cheetah, while eating the donut, could now only pat Nick on the shoulder. The rest of the ZPD looked at Nick with sympathy, who was both wishing the floor could swallow him whole now and that time could just speed up now because the waiting was killing him.

 _'Why couldn't I have been more careful?! I could have jumped out of the way! But noooo...I had to freeze up like a deer in headlights! Dumb fox...dumb fox...I am a dumb fox! No, worse, I am the DUMBEST fox in all of Zootopia!'_ Nick thought, his usually bright green eyes now dull and filling with tears, as he recalled what had happened that led him to this moment right now: waiting outside the ER of a hospital, with blood on his uniform, and close to throwing his usually well-crafted facade out of the window.

* * *

 _(Flashback Starts)_

 _They'd been chasing a bunch of perps in a seedy part of the city. Judy Hopps, Zootopia's first rabbit officer, and Nick Wilde, Zootopia's first fox officer, were hot on the criminals' trail. They tailed the criminals' vehicle in their squad car until they finally cornered it in an alley. Nick had been the first to get out, his elephant tranquilizer gun in his paws, and shouted,_ "This is Officer Wilde of ZPD! Come out with your paws up!" _followed by Judy, his partner._

 _The criminals, two hulking grizzly bears, stepped out of their vehicle with their paws in the air._ "We've got you two cornered and you're coming with us," _Judy said seriously, keeping a hand on her elephant tranquilizer, as Nick approached the two bears to handcuff them._

 _Everything was going great. They were apprehending two criminals and the night was still young for the two of them and they had planned, after clocking out that night, to spend the rest of the evening at Fru Fru Big's baby shower at Mr. Big's manor._

 _Then, one of the bears pulled out a gun._

 _Upon seeing it, a weapon long outlawed in Zootopia, Nick just froze. He couldn't move, couldn't think, couldn't breathe. Once that bear squeezed the trigger, he knew it was all over for him..._

"Bye-bye, foxy," _the bear growled and squeezed the trigger._

 _Suddenly Nick felt something kick him hard in the back, making him fall down, and he hit his head against the pavement. Seeing stars, Nick got up. The bears were still there, looking rather stunned, and he managed to get them both with his tranquilizer gun. Still a bit woozy from getting knocked down to the ground, Nick turned around to tell Judy to cuff the bears only to see something that made his heart momentarily stop._

 _Judy, lying down on the ground with her eyes closed, clutching her left side, clearly in pain...blood pooling around her._

 _After a second of stunned staring, Nick came to his senses._

"JUDY!" _he shouted, running over to the bunny, and tried to pry her bloody paws away from her side. He had to see the full extent of the damage before he could really start freaking out. Judy let out a whimper as Nick gently moved her paws off her side. Nick saw the dark red stain blooming on Judy's uniform, knew that it was bad, and quickly pulled out his phone._

"This is Officer Wilde! We've got an officer down at Ravine Street, alley at the right corner! Please send paramedics! I repeat, we've got an officer down! _Hurry!" he had practically screamed into his phone before taking out a handkerchief to apply pressure on Judy's wound. The bunny gasped in pain and her eyes popped open. Upon seeing Nick's terrified expression, Judy managed a slight smile to try and reassure him._ "Guess yo-you'll have to...go to that baby shower...w-without me..." _she said weakly. Nick frantically shook his head, feeling tears prick at his eyes._ "N-no...J-Judy, you're going to be okay...J-j-just stay awake, okay? D-don t fall asleep..." _he stammered, not minding the blood staining his police uniform's sleeves, as he continued to apply pressure on the wound to try stop it from bleeding. Judy's ears weakly twitched and she looked at Nick, her eyes half-closed and clouded with pain._

"That...that's the first time...you ever called me...by my name..."

Judy's eyes then slid shut and Nick felt her go limp. If he had been shocked earlier upon seeing Judy shot, Nick was now totally freaking out. He kept screaming her name, begging her to wake up, even as the paramedics and backup arrived. He didn't stop screaming when the paramedics took his partner, his dumb bunny of a savior, away on a stretcher and it took Francine the Elephant to hold him back when he tried to follow Judy into the ambulance. All the while, Nick kept on screaming that one name over and over and over again...

"Judy! _Judy! JUDY!_ "

 _(Flashback Ends)_

* * *

After what seemed like a million years _(actually only about 30 minutes)_ , the head surgeon, a female snow leopard, came out of the Emergency Room. Nick quickly stood up from his chair along with Clawhauser and the rest of the team. Chief Bogo's face was grave as he asked, "How is she, Doctor Freezena? _(yeah, not exactly a great_ _name...sorry!)"_ in a quiet tone. Dr. Freezena sighed heavily, but looked a bit relieved. "Officer Hopps is going to be all right. The bullet didn't damage any of her vital organs and we've taken it out. She has, however, lost a lot of blood and we had to put her in an induced coma to give her body time to recover. We're expecting her to fully regain consciousness within a few weeks," she addressed the assembled team of police officers.

" _Weeks?_ " Nick squeaked out, making everyone look at him. They hadn't heard a word from him until now. "A _few_ weeks, Officer Wilde. She's going to be okay," Dr. Freezena corrected him. "Okay? _Okay?!_ She's in a coma and she won't be waking up for a few weeks?! How is _that_ okay?!" Nick exclaimed, his fur bristling, and looked ready to throw a fit. "Wilde, stand down!" Chief Bogo said sternly. Nick turned around to look at his commanding officer and would have told him off if Clawhauser hadn't held him back.

Dr. Freezena's face softened as she saw that the fox genuinely cared for his partner and gently said, "Visiting hours are until midnight for you cops. We'll move her to a private room right away so you can visit." Before heading back inside the emergency room. Seconds later, a team of medics came out with her and they were pushing a hospital bed where a small, gray bunny lay. "Judy..." Clawhauser whispered worriedly and the rest of the team looked on worriedly. Nick felt the urge to go run after the medics when his phone suddenly buzzed. He looked at the sender's name and inwardly groaned. It was Kevin, one of Mr. Big's goons, asking him what time he and Judy were going to come for Fru Fru's baby shower. He knew Judy had left their gift in the car, but he didn t want to go...not without Judy...

But, then again, he and Judy _(well, Judy, anyway)_ had made a pact that if one of them couldn't come to Fru Fru's baby shower, the other would go in their place and explain. It looks like he ll have to go in his partner's place and explain to the Bigs the situation.

Turning to the other officers, Nick managed to give them a small grateful smile. If they hadn't come, he probably wouldn't have been able to keep himself together. "Call me if she suddenly wakes up. I-I gotta go fulfill a pact...yeah, she made me swear that one of us will go to the Bigs tonight...Just...just call me if there's been any change...See you..." he said quietly and left...secretly hoping someone would stop him...so he could stay at the hospital to look after his partner...

But no one did...

* * *

The next two days were torture to Nick.

At Fru Fru's baby shower, she and her father had been really worried when Nick showed up late, holding a gift bag, without Judy and explained that something had happened on the job and Judy couldn't make it.

But that was nothing compared to the phone conversation he had with Judy's parents the day after. Stu and Bonnie had already been contacted by ZPD the night before and were worried sick. Talking to them on the phone _(they'd gotten Nick's phone number through Chief Bogo)_ made the fox feel a million times worse. Of course, he had to get a phone that had video chat and he not only heard but saw how worried Judy's family was.

And, then, just when he thought it couldn't get any worse, Nick had to tell the chief what happened a day after the incident happened. He had managed to keep a straight face for most of the report until he got to the part where Judy had saved him and took the bullet meant for him. He could barely keep his voice's tone calm as he gave his report before racing out of Chief Bogo's office. He had run all the way to the park, headed for the bridge he had once frequented, and sat there with his knees drawn up to his chest and cried his eyes out. After running out of tears to cry, Nick made his way over to the hospital with some of Judy's things.

When he saw her, Nick felt like someone had pretty much made him relive that horrible night. Judy was still asleep, an IV bag suspended on a pole situated nearby and dripping liquid nutrients into her tiny body. She was wearing a pale pink hospital gown and she was lying in a hospital bed that could have fit a hundred bunnies in. Nick sighed and placed a small bag containing her officer's badge, some carrots, her iPod, and earbuds on the bedside table. He then placed her carrot pen/recorder next to her paw and sat at her bedside.

"Hey, Carrots..." Nick said softly, hoping to see an ear twitch, only to receive total silence.

"Everyone's pretty worried about you. Fru Fru wanted to tell you at her baby shower that the doctors confirmed she's having a girl after all. It would have been better if you'd been there...you're the godmother after all..."

No response from his little rabbit partner.

"Your Mom and Dad...they're terrified. They wanted to come visit, but your siblings need them. Can't say that I don't agree with their decision to stay...they've got a _lot_ of kids to look after, heh..."

Nick tried to carry on the one-sided conversation but he didn't have the heart to continue so he just patted Judy's paw and whispered, "I'll see you later, Carrots..." before leaving. _'Please wake up soon, Judy...'_ the fox thought as he made his way back to ZPD headquarters.

For the next few weeks, Nick made sure to stop by the hospital everyday. Sometimes Clawhauser would come along, sometimes Francine and other members of the team, even Chief Bogo came with him once. But, most of the time, Nick would go visit Judy alone. He'd talk to her about the day, always using the recorder he had placed beside Judy, and leave, hoping that the next day, she'd woken up and had listened to all the recorded one-sided conversations on her carrot recorder and they could go back to being a team again.

But nothing changed. Judy was still in a coma and it wasn't doing Nick Wilde any good. He needed his partner back. He _wanted_ her back. Nick was getting tired of it. The past few weeks, he'd been forcing himself to not let anyone or anything get to him. But _everything_ was getting to him - the stress from work, worrying about Judy, the guilt he'd been feeling ever since the incident happened - and Nick could feel himself slowly being torn apart.

The tipping point, the day he completely broke, was when Chief Bogo had decided to assign him a temporary partner for a case.

Th morning had been going well enough for Nick when Chief Bogo assigned cases to the team. "Wilde, you're with Francine. We've got..." Chief Bogo managed to say before Nick stood up from his chair and said, "With all due respect, sir, I can take on this case by myself."

Chief Bogo raised an eyebrow at him while all the other officers stared at him curiously. "No offense, Francine," Nick added quickly, glancing at the elephant in the room. Francine merely waved her trunk at him. Chief Bogo harrumphed, getting the fox's attention. "Wilde, this case requires two officers to handle. I can't allow you to go on this case alone," he told him sternly. "But I don't want a partner on this one. I can take care of this myself," Nick protested, looking a bit agitated, and could feel that he was about to have a complete breakdown. _'Not in front of them...not in front of them, Wilde...You gotta keep it together!'_ the fox thought desperately. "Wilde, I cannot allow one cop to take on a serious priority case. You need a new partner," Chief Bogo told him. "But I don't want another partner! _I want Judy!_ " Nick burst out before he could stop himself.

Complete and utter silence followed his outburst.

Nick could feel all eyes on him and it made him feel horrible and he couldn't bear to look at Chief Bogo's stunned face. Without another word, Nick dashed out of the room, right past Clawhauser at the front desk, and ran out of headquarters. He soon found himself at the hospital again and back at Judy's bedside. Much to Nick's worry, the bunny was still comatose.

Picking up the recorder, Nick pressed the recording button.

"Hey...it's me again. I was just walking by and thought I'd come see you...Man, you're taking your sweet time napping here, huh, Carrots? I bet you'll be wishing you'd woken up sooner once you see your hospital bill..." he managed a small chuckle only to, once again, receive no reply from his dumb bunny.

"Anyway, the Chief was assigning us some new cases. I was supposed to get a pretty high priority one but, then, I found out I had to be paired up with Francine and I refused because..."

Suddenly, Nick felt tears welling up in his eyes and, no matter how hard he blinked, he couldn't stop them from coming.

"I-I can't see myself taking a case without you! Why did you have to be so heroic and take that bullet for me?! Now, you're hurt and everyone's worried about you and...and it's all my fault! I m so sorry, Judy! Just...just please wake up I can't do this without you...I can't do this without my partner...I don't want another partner, Judy, I want you...You're the only partner for me. Without you, I'm...I'm just a dumb fox! Please, Judy, please...wake up..."

At this, Nick completely broke down in tears. Dropping the recorder, he buried his face in his paws and cried. Judy was his first real friend. She understood him, kept him company when he felt alone, stuck up for him, annoyed him to no end...she was always there for him. Sure, there was that one time she hustled him into solving a case with her and the other time where she made a mistake in generalizing predators as the only ones capable of turning savage, but those were small things compared to all the cases they've taken on ever since they became partners all those months ago. ZPD's first rabbit officer and first fox officer...they made quite a team. The unlikeliest of partners ,the first ever predator-prey duo, and Nick didn't want that partnership, that bond, to end.

He needed Judy, his dumb bunny, his Carrots...his partner...He wanted her back

 _'I'm just a dumb fox!'_

Nick sniffled and dried his eyes when he heard it again.

 _'I'm just a dumb fox!'_

 _'I'm just a dumb fox!'_

"Can't argue on that statement..."

Nick quickly brought his face out of his paws. Green met purple. "Judy...?" Nick whispered, half-expecting the bunny to suddenly zonk out again. But Judy was awake and, currently, smiling at him. "Took you long enough to finally admit it," she said tiredly and pressed the playback button on her recorder again. _'I'm just a dumb fox!'_ Nick could only let out a watery laugh as tears of joy welled up in his eyes. Judy sat up and opened her arms to him. "Come on, bring it in here, Wilde," she grinned. And Nick was more than happy to hug her, letting out a few soft sobs as he buried his face in Judy's shoulder. "Ah, you foxes...so emotional..." Judy softly laughed before noticing Nick's paw reaching for the recorder. "Ah, ah, ah...I'll let you delete everything you recorded - after 48 hours," she said jokingly. Nick smiled as he hugged her. She could keep the recorder. He'd recorded a lot of one-sided conversations that she really needed to hear. What matters...was that he had his partner back.

"Hey, Judy..."

"Yeah?"

You're...you're not gonna tell the guys back at HQ about this, are you?"

Judy smiled and hugged Nick, her dumb fox, and whispered in his ear:

"Don't worry, partner. Your secret's safe with me."

* * *

 **Well, that's a wrap. This one-shot is dedicated to my awesome bro-bro! Stay awesome, man :D**

 **Anyways, read and review whenever and whatever you want. Bye!**

 **-GuardianDragon98**


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